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CHAPTER 52

Author: Shadyside2004
last update Last Updated: 2025-09-20 17:37:40

The knock at the door came softly this time. Elisa, still buried beneath the blanket, didn’t lift her head.

The door creaked open. Two women entered—stylists, carrying their tidy black cases. Leonard stood behind them, his hands shoved in his pockets, gaze unreadable.

“They’re here to fix your hair,” he said, voice clipped, leaving no room for negotiation.

Elisa’s fingers curled around the blanket edge. Once, she would have spat defiance at him, hurled words sharper than any knife. Once, she would have fought.

But now, her lips pressed into a pale line. Her body shifted upright, and she gave the faintest nod.

The stylists glanced at one another, relief in their eyes. They set to work.

Elisa sat before the mirror as combs tugged through the uneven locks, scissors clicking with quiet rhythm. Strands of her hair fell to the floor like the remains of something sacred. She watched them without blinking, her reflection still, her eyes glassy.

Leonard lingered at the doorway. Something in he
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